The Masters 2022: Mark Williams beats John Higgins in epic to reach semi-final in front of raucous crowd

Updated 13/01/2022 at 23:40 GMT

Williams defeated his old foe 6-5 at Alexandra Palace, securing his win with a break of 91. That has set up the exhilarating prospect of a semi-final against Roberston, who beat seven-time Masters champion Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-4 earlier in the day. Williams was in fine form and continued his great recent record against Higgins.

Williams seals epic victory over Higgins with sensational match-winning break

Mark Williams beat old rival John Higgins 6-5 in their Masters quarter-final in an epic encounter at the Alexandra Palace, setting up a semi-final clash with Neil Robertson.

The match went down to a final-frame decider, with the Welshman triumphing after a break of 91.

Higgins roared into a 2-0 lead after opening with a break of 126, only for Williams to win three frames on the bounce. The pair duked it out until the decider, with Williams sealing victory in thrilling fashion.

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'Probably the best atmosphere I’ve played in!' - Williams in awe of crowd

Before the final frame, the two snooker greats were given a standing ovation by the crowd at Ally Pally. Speaking afterwards, Williams said: “I’ve never experienced anything like that. The crowd was unbelievable.

“The crowd must have been cheering for a few minutes before we started off, I couldn’t feel my legs in the chair. That’s the best intro I’ve ever had, I think John will probably say the same.

“Thanks to all the crowd because it made the occasion even more special… I thought it was a good game today, if we keep playing like that perhaps we’re going to be here for a few more years yet.”

Earlier in the day, Robertson had won 6-4 against seven-time Masters champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The Australian won consecutive frames to wrap things up, saying afterwards: “If you can’t get up for this kind of event, you should hand your place to somebody else.”